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FAMILY

Vivian’s

Identity Portfolio!

My Family Tree!

Ken San

My Father’s Side of the Family...

My Mother’s Side of the Family...

My Historical Narrative

~The Escape~

Questions & Answers...

My Research Notes...

Author’s Note...

My Bibliography...

My Reflection...

I stared into space and remembered all four of us: Balei, Kin Da, Jaki and I were gathered around the round wooden table in my apartment in GuangZhou. A candle was lit in the middle of the table, our only source of light. It flickered, shinning different shades of orange. The sound of men chattering in Cantonese faintly filled my apartment. Pigeons cooed as vehicles drove by, creating grey puffs of smoke. The window curtains were slightly opened, glowing dimly. A piece of A3 paper was laid onto the table, filled with disorganized but important notes and faded lines forming our journey to Hong Kong. As time passed, the picture started to fade away. I smelled the salty taste of water and the ocean breeze blowing against my smooth yet furrowed face. Cold ocean water splashed onto my feet and I woke up with a start.

I was by the shore, feet digging into the sand, creating footprints. The sky was a navy blue color, like a policeman’s uniform. We slowly made our way into the ocean, one step at a time. The surface of the water was nearly up to our thighs, creating a cold ring around it. The sky grew starless as we treading further and further away from life. We swam in what seemed like a line, me, Balei, Kin Da then Jaki. I ducked my head while pushing my arms away from my head. My legs kicked against the water. Breaststroke, I thought.

I can’t believe I am actually doing this. I thought. I’m escaping to Hong Kong. I didn’t know how long I’ve been swimming constantly but it felt as if it has been 20 hours. I stopped and gazed back, and saw Balei on my tail. I could barely hear Kin Da and Jaki’s gasps and splashes since they were so far behind.

Just as I turned back to continue on swimming, I saw a yellow beam of light coming from a distance.

“Guys! It’s one of those patrol boats!” I whispered loudly, seawater spitting from my mouth.

“Swim as fast as you can!” Jaki cried. I could hear the pain and frightening voice in him. I pressed my fingers together and pushed against the force of the water. I kicked as hard as I could, stretching my legs and making my thigh ripple. I ducked my head hard into the water, breaking the surface, breathing back up. With the waster splashing everywhere, I couldn’t hear anything, only a faint scream. What was that? It can’t be them. The patrol guards are tricking me. I thought. I carried on, pushing harder and going even faster. Balei, Kin Da and Jaki can’t be gone. I thought. They just can’t. I felt like stopping my arms from moving and peering back to see if they were still there. I’m afraid. I thought. What if they catch me? What if I will never find them? Questions swirled around my head and I tried waving them away, like a bee buzzing around my ear.

A wave of nervousness washed over me and I could feel my body heating up. I spin around, creating a miniature whirlpool around me. The patrol boat was now driving out of sight; it’s light shinning on the water surface, creating a circle of light. I glimpsed a small oval-sized circle with a spiky top, moving up and down. Is tha- I thought, interrupting myself. As it got closer, its face became clearer. Balei. I thought.

“Balei! Where’s Kin Da and Jaki?” I cried out.

“Ken San! I shouted at you at the top of my lungs but you didn’t turn around! I tried catching up to you but you were too quick!” Balei said furiously. So, that was what the faint scream was…I thought stupidly.

“What happened?” I demanded.

“They were caught by the patrol guards. They were too slow,” Balei said faintly, staring into the distance.

“Oh…okay,” I said, feeling rather heartbroken. “Come on. Let’s keep on going.” We continued, leaving two of our men behind didn’t feel right. We relaxed our arms but continued treading with our legs. Balei took out his plastic bottle of water, opened the cap and starting drinking, taking large mouthfuls. I took off my bag, opened it and grabbed an apple. When I looked up, I saw a stretch of land, stretching across the ocean.

“Hey, Balei. Look up! What’s that there?” I asked anxiously, taking a large bite from my apple. There were palm trees planted into the ground, and buildings stood tall, standing against the ocean breeze.

“Ken San! We did it! That’s it! It’s Hong Kong right there!” Balei exclaimed, pointing to the land I thought was just some other city. I stared at it, completely astonished. I can’t believe it. We actually did it! I thought.

“What are we waiting for? Let’s go!” I said, exhilarated, and began swimming, having a huge head start.

How old were you when you escaped Canton?

I was around 23 years old.

When and how did you know that Canton was under Communism?

During 1949, how the citizens were being treated unfairly.

Did you decide to escape right after you heard about the Communism? Why?

Yes, because when I was young, others felt like they didn’t have a future. Once they graduated, they were sent to the countryside. They picked a freedom country and decided to flee to Hong Kong, many men followed me.

What did you bring when you were escaping?

We brought a few days of food and kept it in a waterproof bag, and a floating device to stay afloat.

Did you leave anyone behind?

No, I went with three of my friends.

What were you wearing when you were escaping?

Everyone wore their swimming suit.

Did you bring anything to protect you if anything attacked?

No, because we were only concentrating on swimming to Hong Kong not anything else.

What things did you have escaping that you overcame?

We didn’t know because it was really dark so we just kept on swimming.

Why did you choose Hong Kong to escape to?

Because it was the only closest freedom country near by.

Why did you decide to swim when you could have used a boat?

If I were to use a boat, I am going to have to buy it and maybe a patrol boat might catch you. Also, it would be too loud to be escaping with.

Which lake/ocean did you swam in and why?

We saw the patrol boat though they kept on swimming. The other two weren’t good at swimming so the portal boat caught them. They were locked up in jail for a couple of months and then were let out.

Did you think you were going to survive the swim to Hong Kong?

I never thought about that. We only thought swimming to Hong Kong.

What stroke did you swim?

We swam breast stroke.

Did you use the same stroke or did you switch? Please name the strokes that you used.

We only swam breast stroke because it didn’t use as much energy than free style.

Did you swim non-stop?

Yes, though when we were tired, we each held on to a basketball to stay afloat.

How did you feel when you finally saw Hong Kong?

I felt great because we finally reached the freedom land. I felt free. Everything was new to me.

What time of day when you saw Hong Kong?

It was around daytime.

What was the first thing you saw when you reached Hong Kong?

They saw a young man drawing into the sand with a wooden stick.

How long did you think it took to reach Hong Kong?

They started around 11 or 12 during the night. It lasted for more than 6 hours.

What do you think about what you’ve done?

I did the right choice to flee from Canton to Hong Kong.

✽ Communism in Canton.

✽ The Communism started in October 1,1949.

✽ Life was the same though they didn’t have any freedom.

✽ Kids were sent to the countryside to work after they graduated from college

✽ Mao Zedong proclaimed the birth of the People’s Republic to the people at Tiananmen Square.

✽ Mao Zedong delivered his speech at the Gate of Eternal Peace, which is the entrance to the Forbidden City.

✽ When Mao Zedong and the Communist took over China, the country was in terrible shape.

✽ During his speech, he stood in front of a huge portrait of himself.

A young man stood by the shore, wearing sweatpants and only his skin for his top. He held a wooden stick, drawing patterns into the sand. Step by step, Balei and I made our way away from the ocean water, completely exhausted. My bones felt weak and there were wavy bumps on my fingertips. Somehow, the young man knew where we were coming from; he dropped his stick and bolted towards us. He half carried, half dragged us to safety. I could barely remember anything but the young man handed me a phone and ask me to call any relatives or friends that I have in Hong Kong. I called my brother in law. Balei and I were driven to my brother in law’s apartment. We continued our lives in Hong Kong, though later on I moved to New York City and married my wife and later had a beautiful boy.

On the other hand, Kin Da and Jaki were kept in prison for only a couple of months. They soon resumed their lives as normal.

"Guangzhou." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 11 Dec. 2012. Web. 14 Nov. 2012. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guangzhou>.

"Guangzhou (China) : The Contemporary City." Encyclopedia Britannica Online. Encyclopedia Britannica, n.d. Web. 14 Nov. 2012. <http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/93196/Guangzhou/10781/The-contemporary-city>.

"Life of Guangzhou." Life of Guangzhou. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Nov. 2012. <http://www.lifeofguangzhou.com/>.

When I have been working on this project, I’ve learned a lot about my family’s history. There was a lot of information that I didn’t know. Only until now, when I researched on the Communism in Canton and what really happened. I didn’t know that my Granduncle was brave enough to escape from Canton to Hong Kong.

There are a lot of important things I noticed while doing this project. First, you get to know more on what historical facts that one of your family member experienced. Second, you get to research more on that topic and get to know more about it as you go.

I really enjoyed interviewing Granduncle, mainly because I have to speak to him since I haven’t spoken to him for a long time.

There were a couple of challenges that I faced but I overcame. Like, researching about the Communism in Canton, asking the questions because my Granduncle usually gets carried away.

I think I’ve grown as a write by using more descriptive words. I added a lot of more luscious language instead of using dead words (like good, bad, nice, etc…).

When the future 7th graders begins this project, I would advise them to use more descriptive words and phrases to begin their historical narrative to have a good start. I also advise them to always have a Thesaurus and a Dictionary by their side.